Review of Green Attitudes & Behaviors of American Consumers Green is one of the colors Americans associate with the holidays, but exactly how “green” are American consumers? Roughly 5 million American men and women today are members of an environmentalist organization. While that translates to only 2.3% of the adult population, many more Americans are interested in environmental matters. Fully, 65% of adults are making a conscious effort to recycle and more than two-thirds believe that they have a personal obligation to the environment. But the green buck doesn’t stop with consumers. In fact, 64% of Americans say that companies should help consumers become more environmentally responsible. Businesses may actually profit from being eco-friendly, but they need to better understand the “green” mindset first.

Experian Simmons reviews results from its Summer 2009 six month National Consumer Study to provide insight into how environmentally friendly American consumers are and how those attitudes and behaviors have changed over time. The next slides explore the eco-friendly levels of consumers by age.

Being Green is an Obligation Seventy-six percent of the U.S. adult population hold the belief that being environmentally responsible is a personal obligation. Interestingly, young adults under age 25 are the least likely to say they are obligated to be environmentally responsible.

But will Americans purchase from eco-friendly companies? Many agree they will, but young adults are less likely to say that a company’s eco-friendliness will sway them to buy their products. Older adults, on the other hand, are the most likely to hand over their hard earned green to green companies.

Why Americans may not be buying green Green products need to focus on quality and affordability. Fewer than a third of Americans believe that eco-friendly products are higher quality, and many consumers find them too expensive. However, two-thirds of adults say they would purchase eco-friendly products if they were priced more affordably, a position shared by consumers of all ages.

Green Trends The percent of Americans who belong to the Behavioral Green and Think Green segments –the greenest segments– are on the rise while Potential Green consumers are decreasing and True Browns have remained relatively flat.